Butterflies EN masse sit on the heads of turtles, but why?
The Amazon rainforest located in Brazil, can be seen a very unusual picture of a butterfly sit on the heads of turtles and drink their tears. Very often the insects feed on the "grief" of the so-called shionogi turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), the body length of which reaches 46 inches, and weight is often equal to 8 kilograms. They feed on plants, small animals and even insects, but butterflies usually do not touch — for the most part, they kindly allow them to feast on her tears and not even trying to scare. But why butterflies are so fond of the fluid that is released lacrimal glands of creatures with shells? You might think that they somehow help the turtles, in part, that's true. But the butterfly is extracted from turtle tears even greater benefits.
The image below shows a shot taken by researcher Aaron Orange (Aaron Pomerantz) in Peru — South American countries in which the Amazon rainforest. An incurable romantic and a lover of disney cartoons would say that butterflies how-to kiss turtles in the head, but the insects fly up to him with a very selfish agenda. Probably, all people are well aware that tears have a salty taste — they contain sodium chloride which in everyday life is known as salt. Like all living organisms, butterflies also need this mineral, but in the tropical forests of the Amazon it sources little.
Photo made by Aaron Orange
The fact that the main source of salt on our planet is the oceans. Only here to the Amazon rain forest salt water do not reach. Some amount of mineral that could fly with the wind, but this is prevented by the Andes — one of the mountain systems of our planet. The height of the Aconcagua mountain, for example, reaches 6961 metres.
Andes look So satellite
Waters in the tropical forests of the Amazon fresh and the butterflies don't have free access to salt, like their congeners from other regions of our planet. Wild cats, artiodactyls and the same turtle can get the required dose of sodium chloride by eating the food of animal origin. Parrots and monkeys can compensate for the amount necessary for life minerals by eating clay. But harmless butterflies this is not possible, so they have to look for other sources. The eye is relatively harmless turtles — the best option for them.
Parrots eat the clay to replenish minerals in the body
It is Important to note that the tears of turtles feed not only butterflies but also bees. Only here the turtles these buzzing creatures are not very like and they try to dismiss them. According to some researchers, the most irritating factors of honeybees is their loud noises. But the butterfly is silent and high, they can interfere with the turtles is a restriction of the field of view of its large wings. And blocking turtles review will put them at risk of being attacked by predators. But butterfly wash out the eyes of reptiles.
In Addition to turtles, butterflies also love crocodiles — you've probably seen photos where the heads of crocodiles is covered with dozens of various insects. Their goal is the same — they just want to get their dose of minerals. Visitors to the Amazon rainforest should not be surprised that they also sit insects. In these regions remains extremely high temperature and people sweat quickly. Animals and minerals are also present in human sweat. So travelers have to take care choosing a suitable for such trips clothes.
you've Probably already seen this photo
On the topic of butterflies at our website there are at least two interesting material. The first of them on their wings recently, scientists have discovered how these fragile formations insects . The second article is about how butterflies manage , which doesn't always eat off of them. Happy reading!
